The Real Housewife of NJ

I watch a lot of reality TV because I have an aversion to reruns. I seriously can't re-watch something I've watched within 10 years. I don't watch all of the Housewives. Some of them are not my cup of tea. I do love the Beverly Hills gang but that's mostly because I enjoy the aspirational aspect of their daily lives. I'm not sure what I'd do with a mansion, my own jet, or even a nanny - but it's nice to slip into someone else's life, even if just for a moment. I may not be super rich or super glam, but this housewife is 100% real.

I live in Bergen County, NJ and there really isn't anything to do on a Sunday because of the darn Blue laws. Thou it's nice to have a day off where there's no pressure to shop because nothing is open. We usually just hang out as a family but every so often I throw a few looks together, grab the kids and go off to take pictures. It was also the Jewish Holiday of Purim so Ella and I were going to dress up like young and older Taylor Swift. I did my hair, cat eye and red lips....and then she changed her mind. So we scrapped that plan and I decided to shoot some of my new Zara sale finds. I googled walls in NJ and I found some really cool ones in Hackensack. So take that Brooklyn, you don't have all the cool walls.

The problem with having a 10 year old stylist and 11 year old photographer is that sometimes they miss things. In every single photo my front button is open and nobody said anything. Sigh.

Head to toe:

• Sunglasses: Wildfox Official, free in Fashion Week gift bag! (RV $179)
• Dress: Zara, $12.99 (RV $69.99)
• Coat: Zara, $29.99 (RV $249.99)
• Bag: Alice + Olivia, Nordstrom Rack, $29.99 (RV $199.99)
• Boots: Betsey Johnson, Macy's Backstage, $49.99 (RV $99.99)

Shop my style here:

Shout-out to my son 11 year old son, Akiva for my photos. Little Miss Ella decided it was too cold and ran back to the car after a handful of pics. Ella wore her favorite Cheerleader costume (you dress up in costumes for Purim - kinda like Halloween) that we have in every size. I used to hoard Gymboree back in the day from their cheap backroom stock. Plus I would stack coupons and you wouldn't believe what I used to find for $5 or less. Sometimes entire collections would get marked down to $.99. I've been out of the game for several years so I'm not sure what their pricing/sales are like anymore. Plus after a few years it all starts to look the same - same animal, different colors LOL.

Oh, and her Converse sneakers were brand new from Once Upon A Child consignment (it's a kids chain) for just $14. I just head they are opening one in Paramus and I'm super excited.

Yesterday I hit the SJP sample sale and SJP was not there so I put down the black patent mary janes I was holding on to. They were only $80 (most styles were $125 and upward) but unless she was going to sign them, I didn't need them.

Today I hit Paul Andrew and if you were a size 37 you hit the jackpot. Not too much in a 40 but I was the first thru the door so I had the run of the place. I grabbed a couple pairs from the $50 worn samples that I'll be sharing soon :) They are open again tomorrow but not sure there will be much left other than the $200 men's shoes.

I also popped into Vivienne Westwood which had some gorgeous stuff for not so gorgeous prices. It was mostly only 50-70% off retail. If you're a super fan, check back over the weekend for markdowns.

As for upcoming sales there are quite a few but nothing amazing. Eddie Borgo is back but last time they barely had any super cheap damages and their prices went up significantly. I'm thinking the glory days of that sale have come and gone. But if you're in the hood....

My amazing sample sale friends (Lakeisha and Dinara) told me about the site CHICME which probably has the best sale listings in town at the moment. Before I head into the City I always check with them now to see if anything popped up. They do listings in other cities too so be sure to check them out!

Paul Andrew 
March 30-31, 12-7
41 West 58th Street, Suite 2A

Vivienne Westwood
March 30-April 2, 10-6
20 West 36th Street, 6th Floor

Eddie Borgo
April 7, 8-7 & April 8, 10-6
204 Elizabeth Street, 2nd Floor

As always check my Insta stories for sale updates and a peek behind the scenes as I shop! Have a great weekend and happy shopping!

XO
Michelle the Shoe Goddess

Rebecca Minkoff Embellished Leather Moto Jacket - Take 2!

Decided to have another go with my Rebecca Minkoff embellished leather moto jacket and penny booties. Until I find the perfect combo I will keep experimenting with these beauties. I noticed some pink trees starting to bloom so I hunted one down near my parents house when we visited for Purim, and had little miss Ella snap some shots to share my latest spring bargainista look.

I will confess that I'm makeup free other than my Miley Cyrus MAC lipstick. Mommy hack 101 - if you throw on some sunnies and the right shade of lipstick you can let your face breathe :)

From head to toe:

• Sunglasses: Valentino Rockstud sunglasses, Century 21, $15 (Back when Century had decent sales...)
• Necklace: Jes Design Studio arrowhead, Free! - won on Instagram :)
• Dress: Rebecca Taylor Kiku print dress, sample sale, $50 (retail $550!)
• Jacket: Rebecca Minkoff Wes leather moto, sample sale, $150 (retail $798!)
• Bracelet: Dannijo, sample sale, $25
• Ring: Lionette Ace ring, sample sale, $20 (retail $80)
• Bag: Givenchy pouch, TJ Maxx, $99 (retail $480 - yellow sticker sale!)
• Boots: Tesori, Nordstrom Rack, $0.01

You can shop my look here:

 
While I didn't dress up for Purim, my kids did. I used to hoard cheap Gymboree and have costumes stockpiled in every size. This year my oldest was a Fireman at night and a werewolf for day. I gave him sunglasses and my UGGs (yes, my 10 year old has giant feet) and told him he was teenwolf. My middle was a cheerleader at night and 50s girl by day. My youngest, who is a giant ham, dressed up as a fairy by night and a strawberry fairy for daytime.

My local nieces and nephew came by to take pics - they were all dressed as animals. You can see my BIL - the pig (my husband's identical twin) in the back.

My son thought it would be funny if he ate my niece, the panda bear. She's actually wearing a Milly Mini skirt I picked up for her for $15 at Nordstrom Rack.

Last but not least, I'm on a winning streak! I won a $50 Marshalls giftcard for this pic on Instagram and I just won another Insta contest on Friday! Fingers crossed my luck keeps going!

BTW, Happy Easter to all my friends celebrating!

XO
Shoppinggal

Happy Purim!

Today for the first time in over 10 years I pulled out my KitchenAid mixer. I'm actually shocked that it still works.

Last night the Jewish holiday of Purim began. Purim, in a nutshell, is the celebration of the salvation of the Jewish people in ancient Persia from Haman’s (an anti-Semitic prime minister of King Ahasuerus) plot to kill all the Jews. It's the closest thing we have to Halloween - kids dress up and we give each other packages full of candy :)

Hamantashen is a Yiddish word meaning "Haman’s pockets." It's basically a triangular filled cookie that we make on Purim. One explanation for the shape of these pastries is that Haman wore a three-cornered hat. As always, I'm a last minute kinda gal so last night I emailed my younger sister and asked for a no fail recipe as I was only making one batch. I woke up early, checked my email and got started.

Hamantashen! Nut-free and dairy-free - not that we're allergic to anything...

Here is my slightly modified recipe that made 4 dozen cookies:

4 eggs
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup oil
1/3 cup apple juice (I used apple carrot as that was all I had)
5 cups flour
3 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp almond extract (no actual nuts are in almond extract)
3 tsp baking powder

1 jar apricot butter

• Beat 3 eggs and sugar in KitchenAid until creamy
• Add oil and beat
• Add juice and extracts
• Add baking powder
• Gradually add flour until it becomes a good dough consistency
• Roll dough and cut out circles using cookie cutter or a glass (mine were about 3")
• Fill with favorite filling - I used apricot butter (nice thick consistency - jelly or jam is too runny) and pinch 3 corners to create triangle shape
• Line cookie pan with parchment paper and make sure they don't touch each other on the pan
• Beat an egg in a cup and brush each hamantashen with egg using your fingertips 
• Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes. I made mine thick - if you roll it thinner for a crunchier cookie, bake for 10-15 minutes) 

I rolled my dough on the back of a Wonder Woman plastic placemat. This is the glass I used to cut out my shapes.

Drop approximately 1 teaspoon of filling in each cookie before pinching three corners.

I used the apricot butter and apple carrot juice. I actually love prune butter but I couldn't find it until I was finished.

Baking in the oven.

My sister is Miss Fancypants so she made potato filled Hamantashen as well as meat filled Hamantashen. I saw a photo of some rainbow ones that some people were making but I heard they were more pretty than tasty. I wanted a basic sweet cookie to put in my Mishloach Manot (the packages of food that we distribute on Purim).

My Mishloach Manot. The Chinese take-out boxes were 90% from Target, as was most of the candy inside LOL. Kids stuck 90% off Valentines stickers on top :) I did have to pay full price for the Easter grass inside because I forgot to buy some last year for my craft box.

Gotta go run to a Purim party! Happy Purim!

Shoppinggal